


Flight School

by idrilhadhafang



Series: Star Wars Rewrites Backstory — Ben’s childhood [1]
Category: Star Wars Episode VII: The Force Awakens (2015)
Genre: Ben Solo Is Fourteen Years Old, Ben Solo Needs A Hug, Crush if you squint, Crushes, Developing Friendships, Force Sensitive Ben Solo, Gen, Male Friendship, On Ben’s part, Pilot Poe Dameron, Poe Dameron is Seventeen Years Old, Pre-Star Wars: The Force Awakens, Young Ben Solo, Young Poe Dameron, pilot ben solo, questionable knowledge of flight school
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2017-12-27
Updated: 2017-12-27
Packaged: 2019-02-22 19:17:32
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 1,067
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/13173477
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/idrilhadhafang/pseuds/idrilhadhafang
Summary: Ben’s first meeting with Poe.





	Flight School

**Author's Note:**

> Prompt: Meet Cute
> 
> Disclaimer: I own nothing. 
> 
> Author’s Notes: Taking liberties with flight schools a bit. Hope no one minds. Also thank you, MidgardianNerd, for helping me break my writer’s block.

“Is this table taken?”

Ben was already hesitant about asking, but the other tables seemed to be completely full. The teenager in question — who Ben could only guess was three years older than he was — looked up, brushed his curly black hair out of his eyes. There was something about him that just seemed cool, Ben couldn’t help but think. Nothing like Ben. Ben was the opposite of cool, small and geeky and almost delicate-looking. Not particularly good-looking either. He couldn’t help but envy this teenager, who seemed to have just about everything that Ben Solo didn’t have.

“No problem.” The teenager had an easy sort of smile, a smile that made Ben feel at ease just looking at him.

Ben brushed his black hair out of his eyes and sat down. His tray shook in his hands even as he did so. He wouldn’t have been surprised if the drink he had was room temperature by now. Around him, others were chatting freely, easily, and he couldn’t help but envy them in that moment.

It was supposed to be fun, his dad said. Practicing for becoming a pilot one day. And Ben knew that one day, he was going to become a pilot. A damn good one, his dad said. He was going to be amazing. Ben could only hope. He wasn’t as good as his dad, even though there were people who said he was practically a prodigy.

Ben could only hope, actually.

“What’s your name?” Ben said.

“Poe.” Poe smiled again, and there was something about it that was enough to chase the worries from Ben’s mind, at least for the moment. “Poe Dameron.”

“Dameron? That’s awesome!” Ben grinned despite himself. “I’m Ben Solo.”

Poe’s eyes grew wide, amazed, in that moment. “You’re a Solo kid? That’s awesome!”

“Yeah. I guess.” In truth, Ben couldn’t say that he liked the idea of being a “victory kid”, as others would put it. A post-Endor baby. There was something about it where you could just feel the scrutiny weighing down on you. There had been some people who had commented that Ben didn’t look like either of his parents. And Ben supposed that they had a point. Both his parents seemed so glamorous. Ben doubted he could live up to either of them.

“My dad’s told stories about your dad,” Poe said, and there was something in his voice that became practically animated. “I mean, all the stories about Endor, the Pathfinders...those were some of my favorite stories growing up.”

“My dad told me a few things.”

“So, you’re going to be a pilot?” Poe had a sort of brightness to his voice that was almost infectious, Ben couldn’t help but think. “That’s awesome! I think you’re gonna do great.”

Ben smiled. “Hopefully.”

It was over lunch that they talked about coming to the Academy, and there was something about the way that Poe spoke about flying where Ben couldn’t help but be fascinated. The sheer amount of excitement in his voice, the sheer amount of enthusiasm.

“I mean,” Poe said, “You don’t just get in a ship and press the controls. It’s a lot more than that.”

“Yeah.” Somehow, there was something about Poe’s enthusiasm that got Ben grinning too. He thought of better times with his father, of steering the Falcon, Han teaching Ben to do barrel rolls and spins in midair and things like that. It was one of those memories that Ben had when Mom and Dad weren’t fighting about stupid things, that Ben treasured more than anything. “Exactly.”

They talked with one another over lunch, and there was something about Poe where Ben just felt at home with him. It wasn’t every day that one actually felt that way around another being, but there was something about Poe where Ben just felt at home talking to him. Even discussing classes, discussing favorite parts and not-so-favorite parts, Ben didn’t think that he’d managed to laugh so much, to be this drawn in.

It was after lunch that they headed to history, and Poe said, “Do you want to walk with me? Just so you don’t get lost.”

“No problem.” So not only was Poe charming and cool, but he was also kind. Ben found that maybe he had made a friend here, at this strange school.

***

It was after history class that they got to talk more. Even heading out towards the flight simulators (which Ben wasn’t going to lie, he was looking forward to using), Ben swept his hair out of his eyes — it seemed to have a talent for being thick and unmanageable. “We did it,” Ben said, grinning at Poe.

Poe laughed. “Yeah.” He sighed. “That was quite a class, wasn’t it?”

“Well, it takes a certain talent to make history boring...”

Poe’s lips seemed to twitch a bit before he said, “Well, to be fair, it’s not like he had the most interesting material to work with.”

“True.”

The flight simulators were better, at least. There was something about just being in the flight simulator that was enough to make Ben feel like he was in the Falcon all over again. It was just after the flight simulators that Poe said, “You’re really good. How did you do that?”

“The Force.”

“Seriously?”

“Well...yeah.” Ben couldn’t say he liked talking about it much, but there it was.

“What’s it like?” Poe said, and there was something about it where he wasn’t clearly worried like Ben’s mother was, just about all the time, but genuinely interested, genuinely fascinated, genuinely captivated.

“Well...” Ben took a deep breath. “It’s hard to describe, actually. You don’t just use the Force. You are the Force. It flows through you. My uncle says that the Force connects all living things. Every rock, every tree, every being...I know it sounds silly, but — ’’

“It’s not silly at all,” Poe said. “I think it’s wonderful.”

Wonderful. That was something that Ben couldn’t say that he’d heard in his life. Not regarding the Force, at least. He smiled at Poe. “Thanks.”

The Falcon was just outside. Ben nodded. “That’s my dad,” he said. “Anyway...I hope to see you again, you know?”

“Me too.”

Even heading towards the Falcon, Ben knew that he had made a new friend today. And he would do anything to impress him, to make him proud of him. No matter what.


End file.
